Clinton, other potential 2016ers react

Hillary Clinton and other potential Democratic candidates for president in 2016 praised court rulings on gay-marriage cases Wednesday, while Republicans Marco Rubio and Rand Paul sounded cautiously optimistic notes about states that have not adopted gay marriage.

“By overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, the court recognized that discrimination towards any group holds us all back in our efforts to form a more perfect union,” former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a joint statement with her husband, former President Bill Clinton. “We are also encouraged that marriage equality may soon return to California. We applaud the hard work of the advocates who have fought so relentlessly for this day, and congratulate Edie Windsor on her historic victory.”

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Bill Clinton signed DOMA in 1996 and said this year that it should be overturned. Hillary Clinton endorsed same-sex marriage earlier this year, shortly after leaving her administration post.

On the Republican side, Florida Sen. Rubio released an extensive statement criticizing the Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling while saying he appreciated “that many Americans’ attitude towards same-sex marriage have changed in recent years.”

“These types of disagreements should be settled through the democratic process, as the Founders intended, not through litigation and court pronouncements,” Rubio said.

Rubio was in the somewhat delicate position of trying to balance his — and most of his party’s — view on marriage with the fact that the DOMA ruling removes a barrier to the immigration reform bill he has worked on as part of the Senate Gang of Eight. He did not discuss immigration in his written statement.

He ended with a call for respect from both sides of the marriage issue.

“My hope is that those of us who believe in the sanctity and uniqueness of traditional marriage will continue to argue for its protection in a way that is respectful to the millions of American sons and daughters who are gay,” Rubio said. “It is also my hope that those who argue for the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex marriage will refrain from assailing the millions of Americans who disagree with them as bigots.”

Kentucky Sen. Paul weighed in, saying the court ruling on Proposition 8 was a punt that would affirm states’ freedom to decide on the issue. He has said he favors that approach and supports the “traditional” marriage structure.

“They’re trying to say nothing, is what they’re trying to say, but in doing that the other side of the coin is there are 34 states that have decided in favor of traditional marriage,” Paul said on Glenn Beck’s radio show on Wednesday after reading news reports on the rulings. “Those are affirmed now. … The good side to this ruling is they have affirmed to states that this is a state issue and states can decide.”

California voters approved Prop. 8, a gay-marriage ban, in 2008. A district court later ruled against it.

Asked if the rulings raised the specter of marriages of more than two persons, Paul said “it is difficult because if we have no laws on this, people take it one extension further. ‘Does it have to be human?’ The question is, can some social mores be part of legislation? … The stability of the marriage unit is enormous and we shouldn’t just say, ‘Oh, we’re punting on it and marriage can be anything.’”

Other Democrats had uniform praise for the outcome even as some, such as Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, noted “there is still more work to do” before same-sex marriage is legal in all states.

“This ruling is a powerful step forward for those who live in states like Maryland,” O’Malley said in a statement. “But the court’s decisions make clear that there is still more work to do as a nation to achieve greater respect for the equal rights and human dignity of all.”

“By affirming the principle that people come before government as equals, today’s #SCOTUS decision on #DOMA is a win for the American people,” Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick tweeted. “I applaud the #SCOTUS decision on #Prop8 in CA as well. #LoveisLove.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, whose state legalized gay marriage in 2011, tweeted: “Groundbreaking civil rights victories today for #LGBT community & major step forward in our efforts to achieve full #marriageequality #DOMA.” New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said she was “overjoyed.”